Treasure From Trash
Shah Alam – While the concept of reusing recyclables is not new nor a novel one, it is unpopular among many. To most people trash only deserves to be in the dustbin. But for children with boundless imagination, recycling discarded materials can lead to a plethora of opportunities and new creations.
Sharing the belief that “one man’s trash is another man’s treasure”, Fraser & Neave Holdings Bhd (F&NHB) and the Shah Alam City Council (MBSA) are encouraging students to think out of the box in this year’s Kempen Kitar Semula F&N & MBSA.
Speaking at the launch of the 11th edition of the campaign, Ms Cariessa Goh, Corporate Affairs Manager, F&NHB said that educating the younger generation to recycle is crucial for the future. Hence, making recycling interesting and fun is key to instilling habit in children.
“We were pleasantly surprised by the creativity displayed by the children last year through their brilliant recycling corner ideas. This year, we are introducing a new competition to encourage students to use their imagination and reinvent with recyclables. In doing so, we hope to make recycling a fun and rewarding activity for the children,” she said.
Held annually since 2007, the campaign aims to promote environment preservation among school-goers and imbue a recycling culture, following the 5R philosophy of Reduce, Reuse, Recycle, Rethink and Reinvent. The campaign runs from March 1 to August 31, 2017 and is supported by the Department of Education Selangor and Tetra Pak Malaysia.
The six-month campaign challenges kindergartens as well as primary and secondary schools under the MBSA administration to collect the largest haul of recyclable materials per student, i.e. aluminum, plastic, and paper, to win rewards worth RM23,100.
Primary and secondary schools stand to win the grand prize of RM2,000 for the highest average score of recyclable items collected per student at the end of the campaign. The second prize is RM1,700 each while third placed winners receive RM1,500 each. Fourth and fifth places winners earn RM1,200 and RM1,000 respectively each for their efforts. Sixth and seventh placements will receive a consolation prize of RM400 each.
Winners for the kindergarten category will receive RM500 as the grand prize, while first and second runners up will be awarded RM400 and RM300 respectively. Fourth to seventh placements will each receive a consolation prize of RM100.
Three special awards are also up for grabs for the most aluminum, plastic and Tetra Pak materials accumulated. Winners from primary and secondary schools stand to win RM700 while kindergartens will receive RM300 for each special award category.
This year, additional prizes will be given out to primary and secondary schools with the most creative invention made up of recyclables. Top schools will walk away with a share of RM3,600 for their efforts.
In 2016, Pra Sekolah SK Seksyen 20 retained its crown in the kindergarten category for the second consecutive year, collecting 4,096kg in recyclables while SJK (C) Chung Hua took the lead in the primary school category with an exceptional haul of 15,304.3kg in recyclables. In the secondary school category, SMK Bukit Jelutong claimed the top spot after recording a sum of 10,826.6kg of recyclables.
“Early exposure is crucial to nurture the recycling culture not only in school, but also at home. Through the campaign, we hope to instil this good habit among children so that it will be continued well into their adulthood and carried on to the next generation,” said Goh.
The 2017 campaign was officially launched by Shah Alam Mayor, Dato’ Ahmad Zaharin Bin Mohd Saad. It will conclude with a prize giving ceremony, expected to be held in September.